Fiona Ryder

Biography

As a Principal Lecturer with University of Cumbria Fiona is a Registered Nurse with a broad range of skills, knowledge, and experience across clinical practice, service development, and quality improvement. With a substantial background in nursing across diverse healthcare settings, she has also held senior academic roles in Higher Education, including Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for both nursing and paramedic apprenticeship programmes, prior to becoming a Principal Lecturer.

Her ability to seamlessly integrate clinical expertise with academic insight enables her to support learners in understanding key theoretical concepts and effectively bridging the gap between theory and practice. Fiona is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care and consistently embeds these principles into curriculum design and teaching practice.

Driven by professional curiosity, she actively seeks feedback, identifies areas for enhancement, and refines educational approaches to ensure continuous improvement. Open-minded and collaborative, she builds strong relationships with stakeholders and remains responsive to their evolving needs.

Fiona maintains her clinical credibility as an instructor in both Advanced Life Support (ALS) and the Generic Instructor Course (GIC), ensuring she remains current in resuscitation practices, education standards, and pedagogical methods. She finds great fulfilment in mentoring and coaching colleagues, supporting them to deliver inclusive, learner-centred education. Equally, she is confident in holding staff accountable and is well-equipped to provide effective line management, coaching, and strategic support to team members.

Qualifications and memberships

Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy                           (Sept 24)

 

PGCert HE:    University of Cumbria.  Ongoing                         (Sept 24)

 

TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism:  Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.  Passed.  2023

 

MSc Practice Development:  University of Cumbria.    Merit.                                   2019

 

Generic Instructor Competency (ALSG/Resus Council):                                          2017

 

LiP307: Supporting and Assessing Learners in Practice:  University of Cumbria.        2010

 

Non Medical Prescribing:      University of Cumbria (Merit)                                      2009

 

BSc Nurse Practitioner Award:  St Martin’s (Awarded)                                            2005

 

Enhanced Clinical Nursing Practice in High Dependency Context. St Martin’s:           2002

 

BNURS(Hons):  University of Birmingham.  2:1                                                    2000

Academic and research interests

Acute Care and Critical Care Nursing

Primary Care

Pharmacology

Professional Practice

Advanced Clinical Practice

Leadership

Recent external roles

Queen's Nurse

Advanced Life Support Instructor – Resus Council UK – 2017 – current

Speaker at National Conference on Developing the Nursing Associate Role (HCUK) – August 2022 and February 2023

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